Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty Four
Joey wished Charlie luck as they parked up in the familiar driveway of Michael's house.
"Are you sure you don't mind waiting around?" the police officer asked a little nervously.
Joey was starting both her new job and her catering course today and she was worried about putting her out.
"If it's helpful to you then I am more than happy to be here," Joey promised. "I've got my book."
She grinned and waved the Sarah Waters novel she'd got for her birthday at her.
"Go!" Joey said.
Charlie nodded, took a deep breath and approached the house. Joey watched her until she was inside and then opened her book.
Aden had started work early that morning. Alf had gone over the ropes with him and expected him to pass all the information onto Joey when she arrived.
"Hey," he greeted when Nicole approached him.
His face fell when he realised how unhappy he looked. Today was exam results day and her grim expression didn't bode well.
"I failed," she said, sinking against him and trying not to cry.
"So, you're having nightmares again?" Michael asked when he and Charlie had settled down.
Charlie nodded, feeling anxious and wondering if counselling had been such a good idea after all.
"Are they still about um... Grant?" Michael asked, consulting his notes. "The man who raped you when you were a teenager?"
"No," Charlie said, although she couldn't help but shudder at the mere thought of him. "And the dreams aren't as violent as they were. But they are upsetting and... and Joey was worried so she thought maybe I should come see you again."
"She sounds like she cares about you very much," Michael commented.
Charlie smiled widely.
"She does," she said. "I'm lucky."
Ruby found herself sitting next to Xavier in class on their first day back at school. She was glad at least that they had made peace now and she hoped that they could be friends. Xavier had meant a lot to her and she would hate to lose him forever.
"How's Charlie?" he asked, while they waited for Miles to arrive.
"She's getting there," Ruby said. "But she's still pretty fragile."
Xavier nodded sadly.
"I um... I heard that you got caught up in the riot last week."
Ruby nodded.
"I was pretty lucky," she said. "Just smoke inhalation. Hazem is still in intensive care and Geoff busted his shoulder."
"Sorry to hear that," Xavier said earnestly.
She smiled and thanked him.
"So, what do you do now?" Aden asked, glad that the shop was quiet.
He wanted to give all his attention and care to Nicole.
"I guess I either repeat the year at school like a complete loser, or I finish education without a qualification... like a loser," Nicole sighed miserably. "Either way, it's the same conclusion."
She leant against him, grateful for his support. She had made peace with Liam over the weekend but today, she was more grateful than ever to have broken up with him and to be dating Aden. He was a man that she could count on, someone she could trust, someone who would drop everything in order to be there for her.
"You're not a loser, Nic," he encouraged. "You were just... distracted during your exams. But if you repeat the year then you'll pass with flying colours this time. Everything will be fine."
Charlie dropped Joey at the bait shop and then headed on to the police station, ready to start her day's work. Parking, she headed into the building and wished her colleagues, including Angelo and Watson good morning. As expected, Joey hadn't been terribly amused at Angelo being stationed in town permanently but had agreed to get on with him as best she could, preferably by staying out of his way.
"What have you been up to this morning?" Angelo asked cheerfully.
"Nothing," Charlie snapped, sounding far cagier than she had intended.
"Just asking," he replied, holding his hands up in mock defence.
"Sorry," Charlie said quickly. "Just a stressful morning."
"Do you think she'll go for it?" Aden fretted.
Nicole had gone to school in order to talk to Gina about repeating the year, hopefully starting tomorrow with the rest of the year. The younger classes had gone back a day early.
"I think she'll love it," Joey enthused.
Worried about his girlfriend, Aden had bounced ideas off Joey to try and figure out something nice to do for her. They had settled on a moonlight picnic.
"You don't think it's lame?" Aden worried. "I mean, would she prefer me to take her out to some posh restaurant or something?"
"Trust me," Joey said. "All a girl really wants is for her partner to do something for her that shows they've put a lot of thought into it. It shows how much you care about her."
"I do care about her," Aden agreed with a self conscious smile. "And I... I really like doing nice things for her. I like it when she smiles. I like it when she smiles because of me. I never... I never thought I'd ever like someone so much again. I mean, I'm not in love with her but..."
He continued to grin. Joey giggled and hugged him.
"I'm happy that you're happy, Aden," she said honestly. "You deserve it."
After school, Ruby headed round to see Geoff. He'd had a physiotherapy session at the hospital that morning. The last couple of visits had been very hard and he seemed to be struggling emotionally with everything that had happened that night. And she felt like he was pushing her away. It hurt but she endeavoured to be the most supportive girlfriend in the world, whatever he was going through.
"Good luck," Charlie said, kissing Joey goodbye.
"I think I'm going to need it!" Joey fretted.
"You're going to be great," Charlie assured her.
She smiled encouragingly. Joey took a deep breath and headed into the college building she'd walked out of so many years before. She just hoped that Charlie's belief in her and her capabilities were well founded. She hoped she could make a success of herself.
Charlie had only been home for ten minutes when there was a tentative knock on the door. Opening up, she was surprised to find Xavier on the doorstep looking shy.
"Hi," she said. "Um... are you here to see Rubes? She's not home."
She decided against revealing that she was spending the evening with Geoff. Xavier knew well enough that they were an item now but the poor kid didn't need his nose rubbed in it.
"I came here to see you, actually," he ventured.
She felt sorry for him. He looked like he was about to combust with anxiety.
"Okay," Charlie said, gesturing for him to join her in the lounge.
They sat side by side on the couch for a moment.
"What's up, Xave?"
"I was just wondering if you were... um, if you were okay... for money?"
"Money?" Charlie asked in sheer confusion.
"It's just... I've... I've got some," Xavier said. "Inherited. From..."
"Hugo," Charlie concluded.
He nodded uncertainly.
"And I just... I feel so bad about what he did to you and I... well, I thought maybe... would you like it?"
Charlie smiled compassionately.
"Thank you for the offer," she said gently. "But if Hugo left you money then you should keep it. Put it into a savings account or a University fund or something like that. I couldn't take it from you."
"But he hurt you," Xavier said desperately. "He nearly killed you. Charlie, I'm so sorry for everything. I..."
Charlie took his hand and looked him directly in the eye. He looked startled but she didn't let go.
"Hugo did hurt me," she said. "And honestly, it messed me up more than I'd like to admit. But it's not your fault, Xave. I don't hold you responsible."
"Does Joey?"
"No," Charlie promised. "You're not responsible for your brother's actions. Please stop beating yourself up about it."
He nodded and sighed heavily, feeling grateful but still lost.
Aden and Nicole sat on the beach in the moonlight. With Joey's help, he had packed a picnic and much to his relief, Nicole seemed to appreciate the effort he had gone to.
"This is so nice," she said honestly.
He smiled and held her hand.
"I was worried that you'd think it was lame or something," he admitted.
Leaning over, Nicole kissed him.
"Everything is perfect," she said. "You're perfect."
She kissed him again. They tumbled onto the sand together.
Charlie was amused. From the moment Joey had got into the car, she had chattered excitedly about every detail of her course. Now, they were getting ready for bed and she was still on a roll. Catching her expression, Joey fell silent.
"I'm rambling, aren't I?" she realised.
"I like it when you ramble," Charlie said, pulling her into her arms. "And I'm so excited for you. This year is going to be amazing for both of us. I can feel it."
Next time... Angelo grows suspicious of Charlie, Aden panics about his relationship with Nicole and Charlie and Joey look forward to Charlie's birthday...
